New partnership to study and improve moose survival in Minnesota

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Info@moosealliance.org

December 3, 2025

GRAND MARAIS, MN: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), 1854 Treaty Authority, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and nonprofit organization National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation (NPLSF) have launched a new initiative to study moose fertility and mortality in Northeast Minnesota.

“Moose are a vital part of our Northern Minnesota landscape, with deep ecological and cultural connections to tribal communities, but they are struggling,” said Morgan Swingen, wildlife biologist with 1854 Treaty Authority. “Minnesota has seen a 60% decline in moose populations in recent decades, and this new partnership is designed to gain detailed knowledge on the problem, identify solutions, and raise public awareness.”

The DNR and 1854 Treaty Authority received $2.07M in funding to support a new moose study in northeast Minnesota. Funding was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The first-ever equally shared Tribal-State partnership on an LCCMR project, the research project will take place from 2025-2031. The Grand Portage Band will contribute funding for a biologist, their own staff time, logistical support, collars, and information from their ongoing research toward this project’s goals.

“So much important moose research has occurred in our state to help us improve our understanding of the population decline,” said DNR Wildlife Health Program Supervisor Michelle Carstensen. “Here, we are filling a critical gap in knowledge, and the partnership really sets the project apart, particularly NPLSF’s involvement and commitment to engaging and inspiring the public in moose protection.”

The study will focus on young moose, aged 8 months to 3 years old—an age group which has largely been unstudied in the past. The study will include new research tools including aerial thermal imaging flights to passively observe newborn moose calves in the spring and a Citizen Science effort to solicit trail camera photos of moose throughout the Arrowhead regions to document the effect of winter ticks on survival.

The goals of the research are to assess recruitment and survival rates of juvenile moose, determine causes of mortality, identify the age of first reproduction, and the number of calves born to young moose to potentially contribute to the population. The research will identify links of moose productivity with their habitats, guiding future forest management efforts to grow the population.

“This is a perfect example of Indigenous co-stewardship in action,” said Seth Moore, Director of Natural Resources for the Grand Portage Band. “It’s exciting that the 1854 Treaty Authority and the Minnesota DNR are joining the moose research community in such an important area of moose population study.”

The effort will add greatly to the ongoing moose population and habitat research that the Grand Portage Band has been leading since 2010.

NPLSF is hosting the project’s moose biologist, Adam Mortensen, to support both state and Grand Portage Band-funded research. Stationed in Grand Marais, Mortensen began his position in November. The University of Minnesota-Duluth will also support the research by providing a graduate student to help collect and analyze information gained from the study.

The study launch is just the first step in a broader effort, the Northern Moose Alliance, that combines state and tribal scientific research with public awareness efforts, says NPLSF Executive Director Tom Irvine. “People care about moose but don’t understand the threats to their survival or the vital scientific work underway by our state and tribal organizations,” he said. “This project will produce a tangible and compelling scientific record of young moose in our state and we want to create educational resources as well as engage the public in sharing their own moose sightings and trail cam data.”

Project partners are developing a new Northern Moose Alliance website to provide updates and other resources, and will be rolling out additional information in the coming months. In the meantime, people interested in learning more can send their name and email address to info@moosealliance.org to join the Northern Moose Alliance mailing list.

Project partner information and contacts:

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is an agency of the state of Minnesota responsible for conserving and managing the state’s natural resources, providing outdoor recreation, and promoting the sustainable commercial use of these resources. DNR is providing project leadership and fiscal management on LCCMR funded work for the project, in a co-stewardship framework with the 1854 Treaty Authority. It will co-lead lead moose capture and collaring operations, coordinate field work, respond to moose mortalities, and assist with manuscripts.

For more information on the DNR visit dnr.state.mn.us

Press Contact: Michelle Carstensen, PhD : michelle.carstensen@state.mn.us

1854 Treaty Authority is an inter-tribal natural resource management organization that protects and implements the off-reservation hunting, fishing and gathering rights for the Grand Portage and Bois Forte Bands in the lands ceded to the United States government under the Treaty of La Pointe, 1854. The 1854 Treaty Authority is providing project leadership and fiscal management on LCCMR funded work for the project, in a co-stewardship framework with DNR. It will co-lead lead moose capture and collaring operations, coordinate field work, respond to moose mortalities, and assist with manuscripts.

For more information, visit 1854treatyauthority.org.

Press contact: Morgan Swingen: mswingen@1854treatyauthority.org

Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is a federally recognized, sovereign Ojibwe tribal government in northern Minnesota. Moose are a primary subsistence species to the Tribe and the Grand Portage Band has been researching moose and leading Minnesota’s moose population research for more than a decade. The Band will be providing funding and staff support to this effort.

For more information, visit grandportageband.com

Press contact: Seth Moore, PhD : samoore@boreal.org

National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and philanthropic partner of Lake Superior’s five national parks including Grand Portage National Monument and Isle Royale National Park, which are both co-managed by agreement between the National Park Service and Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. NPLSF has a long term role in moose science and education. It has supported and provided educational curriculum around moose and wolf interaction on Isle Royale and is a multi-year sponsor of the North American and International Moose conferences, providing scholarships for Native scientists to attend. For this project, NPLSF is hosting the moose biologist and leading multifaceted public education.

For more information visit nplsf.org.

Press contact: Tom Irvine: tom@nplsf.org